Everything from here on out will be Part 2. The first part had a specific goal in mind (filling in the gap between episode 35 and 44) and more or less an overall structure, but this part will be more episodic.
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"All this is Sesshoumaru-sama's?" Rin asked. "For how far, Jaken-sama?"
"For farther than the eye can see. It goes for miles and miles in every direction!"
"Wow, Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Sesshoumaru surveyed the invisible border that marked the edge of his lands. It looked like any other meadow hilltop. Humans would be unlikely to perceive a difference, but the feel of the youki was immediately and distinctly different. The only physical hints left were the seemingly sporadically placed boulders every few hundred yards. So far apart and unnoticeable now that many would never connect that they still marked something. The leftover rocks had stood in their abandoned posts long before Sesshoumaru had been born, the remnants of a low wall erected ages ago by his father and the local humans. Now the only boulders that still sat were the ones too heavy for humans to cart away. The ancient reminder of an ancient empire. But though the wall was long deserted and unneeded, the empire still remained.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.
"Let's go," he said, beginning to walk.
His lands. No, the lands were not his. They were his father's. It would be a long time still before Sesshoumaru could consider them really his. He wasn't the one who had carved them out, driven off other youkai, and made it his domain. However, he was the one who had inherited his father's blood, power, and standing. The lands were his, and while he might not have the same interest in them that his father did, it was his responsibility to upkeep them. And he would not have something that his father worked most of his life for be forgotten and destroyed. It was the least that he could do to walk them every so often and make sure that they were not being overrun by other youkai. And besides it being his father's legacy, he might have an interest in the land someday, and it wouldn't do to have to reclaim it. It was much more practical and logical to simply establish his presence there every so often.
Though the fact that he also had a reputation as the ruthless taiyoukai made his work significantly easier. While his father's power had been known to be notably greater, Sesshoumaru's mechanical destruction of that which annoyed him was considerably more famous. There were no second chances with him. And though his strength was not at his father's level yet, it was nothing to scoff at. Most youkai that lived anywhere near the area were well aware of these facts, and thought it best not press their luck.
There were youkai that lived inside the lands, of course, as well as plenty of humans. Sesshoumaru didn't care, as long as they had no aspirations of trying to claim things for themselves. Which was unlikely, since most of the youkai were ones that his father had allowed to remain, or descended from them. His father had also insisted that none of the youkai within the lands attack humans. Sesshoumaru could care less about enforcing that particular decree, but it had stuck in a way, since it had been the manner of the land for centuries. Overall, the lands were safe from threats from outside or within. They were relatively safe for those that lived within as well, though that was certainly an inadvertent result of Sesshoumaru's objectives.
At least he wouldn't have to watch Rin as carefully. He looked down at her, she still sticking close to his side. During the last few days of travel that it had taken to get to this border, it seemed that a day hadn't gone by without some mindless youkai thinking that she would make a good meal. Those that approached were easily killed, but it hadn't taken her long to realize that even if they passed such things, the things wouldn't near this close to him. He had told her to stay close, but she hadn't let him get two feet away for the past day and a half, even refusing to ride on the dragon.
"Rin." She looked up. "You can run around today."
"Really, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Yes."
"There's no other youkai?"
"No."
With that, she laughed and ran on ahead.
As they got further into the lands, intermittent patches of trees began to appear. It was in one of these small groves that Sesshoumaru decided to stop for the night under, mainly because there was a large stream not too far away. He told Rin to get some fish for her dinner, knowing that she would be getting hungry, as it was just after sunset. She promptly disappeared, and while Sesshoumaru had expected her to be busy getting fish for at least an hour (as she still wasn't very good at it), she soon returned after only ten minutes. Carrying two rather large fish, nonetheless. She set them down in front of Jaken, and then ran off to get some sticks, which she arranged as Jaken prepared the fish.
"You must be getting better at fishing," Jaken commented.
"Nope, Jaken-sama. The fish gave Rin the fish."
"The fish gave you the fish?"
She nodded. "Mm-hm. 'Because of the white dog.' What's the white dog?"
"Sesshoumaru-sama is the white dog."
She looked at him. "Really, Sesshoumaru-sama? What's that mean?"
"It's just a title, Rin," Sesshoumaru said.
Apparently that satisfied her, and she went back to organizing sticks. Jaken looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it, and once again turned his attention to the fish.
Sesshoumaru guessed at what had happened. "The fish" gave her the fish, because she was with him. She had talked to them, and they had talked back. Water sprites always did babble too much for his liking. Sesshoumaru wondered for a moment why he hadn't simply told her about "the white dog." But there was something amusing in seeing how long it would take her to figure something out. Though in this case, it would probably be never, as he had no intentions of transforming again.
The last time he had done so was probably the stupidest thing he had done in the last decade, possibly ever. He generally didn't like transforming, as it was usually a waste of energy, and brought unwanted attention to himself. But playing with Inuyasha had been too tempting. It had still been a waste of energy, but there was no one that would notice, care, or otherwise about his form while in the graveyard. It had felt good to stretch again, so to speak. And fun, too. Who would have predicted that the hanyou would have been able to use the sword like that?
"Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"What, Rin?"
"Where are we going now?"
"To talk to someone about a sword."
"Oh."
She then came over and sat next to him as she ate her fish, and remained there until it got dark and she began to shiver.
"Why don't you go sit by the fire?" he finally asked.
"Rin wants to sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama."
She was going to freeze because she wanted to sit next to him? Inwardly sighing, Sesshoumaru indifferently stood up and moved to sit next to the fire. Rin happily followed, plopping herself down next to him.
"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama never sit next to the fire?"
"I am sitting next to the fire."
"But not before."
"I don't need the fire. I don't get cold."
"And Sesshoumaru-sama can see in the dark!" she exclaimed.
"That too."
"Is being a youkai fun, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
It had definite advantages. Better than being human. "I suppose."
After that she said nothing, and the night was silent except for the crackling flames.
Later, Sesshoumaru felt Rin suddenly slump against his arm, and he realized that she had fallen asleep. He noticed that Jaken was also asleep, lying a short distance away. Moving Rin to lie on the ground, Sesshoumaru stood up. There were no youkai remotely near here, and she would be fine until he came back. He left, walking the land by night, going further up and in. Something always felt strangely right about being back there, in the fields and groves that he had wandered in his youth. Though he roamed far elsewhere, these lands themselves were home--another reason to take the minimal effort that was required to keep them.
Sesshoumaru returned to their camp several hours later, and was surprised to find Rin awake. She was sitting next to the glowing coals, with her arms folded around her legs and her chin on her knees. She didn't hear him approach, and only turned around as he allowed his foot to make a small sound.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said happily. "Where did Sesshoumaru-sama go?"
"Walking."
"Doesn't Sesshoumaru-sama sleep?"
"Not usually." He sat down, and his curiosity slowly got the better of him. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Rin had a dream. And then Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't here."
She came to sit down next to him. It was still a bit cool, Sesshoumaru noticed, but he wasn't going to go to the trouble of building another fire if she didn't request it. And right now she seemed content enough to simply sit there.
"Does Sesshoumaru-sama go walking a lot at night?" she asked.
"Sometimes." He momentarily wondered how long she had been sitting up, waiting for him to return. She didn't seem worried over the fact that he had been gone, but didn't want to go back to sleep until he came back.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she said.
"What?"
"Rin's cold. Can Rin sit next to Sesshoumaru-sama?"
She was sitting next to him. It took Sesshoumaru a moment more to realize what she meant.
"Fine."
She scooted closer and was soon asleep curled up next to him. He glanced down briefly, noticing how easily she rested. It was simpler than getting more wood for the fire, he reasoned. But having her there was also something else, something that he didn't quite know how to describe. Something that he wasn't sure he had the words to describe, and something that he wasn't sure he wanted to find the words for.
They would have been weak words. It was perhaps better not to find them.
At least for now.
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